Humans are designed to live harmoniously with bugs. I don’t mean mosquitoes and houseflies and bees—although those, too. I mean the microbes that live on and inside us, the ones that help us digest our food, maintain a proper pH, and produce important immune system components, hormones, and neurotransmitters. Once, we humans would have encountered plenty of microbes on a daily basis because dirt and bacteria-ridden foods were a part of life. Not that this was always a good thing; food-borne illness was a danger to our ancestors just as it is now. Nevertheless, exposure to the unsanitized world meant people came in contact with, and ingested, microbes. To this day, the microbiomes in and on our body play a central role in healthy functioning. That isn’t to suggest that you should be eating half-rotten food for your health. There are other, better options—like eating fermented foods. You’re probably at least vaguely aware that fermented foods are good for you, though you might not know exactly why. They feature prominently in virtually all cuisines around the globe; not as much in the U.S. Today, I’m going to encourage you to include fermented foods in your diet if you aren’t already. I’ll also give you some of my favorites to start with. Let’s dive in. What Are Fermented Foods Anyway? Fermentation occurs when microbes—often bacteria, sometimes fungi—on food begin to metabolize, or ferment, carbohydrates in the food. The end product of that metabolism is acid or alcohol. When done in a controlled environment like a vat of cabbage or a wine qvevri, the acid or alcohol builds up. Not only does this help preserve the food, it creates an inhospitable environment for dangerous pathogens that can make people sick. Some form of fermented food is a standard component of just about every post-agricultural diet. The earliest sign of wine dates from about 8000 years ago in Georgia (Caucasus, not the state north of Florida). There’s evidence that people were fermenting drinks in Babylon circa 5000 BC, Egypt circa 3150 BC, Mexico circa 2000 BC, and Sudan circa 1500 BC. Fermented, leavened bread was produced in ancient Egypt, and milk was fermented in early Babylon as well. Roman soldiers often subsisted on long-fermented sourdough bread, which survived long treks well. (Imagine conquering the known world on a diet of bread—fermentation must be pretty effective stuff.) The Inuit traditionally wrap whole seabird carcasses in seal pelts and bury them underground to ferment for months, a dish called kiviak or kiviaq. Fermented dairy is a major aspect of the traditional Masai diet, as is clotted steer’s blood. Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting you have to find a local purveyor of kiviak. There are plenty of ways to incorporate fermented foods that don’t require a seal carcass. But first… Why Bother Including Fermented Foods in Your Diet? You can understand why fermentation and other methods of food preservation were so important before the advent of refrigeration, but what about now? You might not appreciate the … Continue reading “What Are Fermented Foods?”
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